Since the dawn of time, the Light of Epertase has determined when the throne was to be passed from elder to heir. For more than a thousand years, the Light's decision had never been challenged ... Until now. When a ruthless army advances on Epertase, the Light determines that corrupt King Elijah is no longer fit to rule. His daughter, Princess Alina, becomes the kingdom's only hope for salvation. When evil men violently abduct her, Epertase's fall appears inevitable. But all is not lost, for Alina has a secret lover lurking in the outer mountains, a long-banished warrior willing to bring down...

That which survives the initial assault may yet die from the infection left behind. In the destroyed country of Lithia, the former Gildonese leader of the Lowlands, King Fice, has violently assumed the throne, filling the void left by the Tek destruction of the country. His unnatural powers of sway have become more potent and his influence is far-reaching. The Tek invasion has also left a void within the kingdom of Epertase. The war has tested the once-great people and, with the venomous words of men Queen Alina considers friends, Epertase descends into revolution. Alina barely escapes with...